Stocking



' Aug. 10, 1937. SEMMLER 2,089,623

STOCKING Filed Jan. 24, 1936 Inventor: flufl 52mm 28/ By M At ia/779 Patented Aug. 10, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STOCKING Application January 24, 1936, Serial No. 60,691

Germany December 18, 1935 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a stocking having a toe repeatedly reinforced in steps.

The known stockings and socks provided with an intermittently reinforced toe are open to the objection that the toe has practically lost the great stretching capacity and elasticity in lateral direction peculiar to knit goods which are de prived of these properties in direct proportion to the degree of reinforcement. This drawback is of special importance with respect to the toes of stockings which are usually made symmetrical so as to be worn interchangeably on the right or left foot. Since the point of the human foot is not symmetrical, allowance must be made by the material of stockings for this difference between the-shape of the latter and that of the human foot, which requires great extensibility and elasticity.

To overcome this defect the invention proposes 2 to limit the maximum reinforcement of the toe in such a way that the toe retains up to the front line thereof the highest possible degree of transverse stretch and elasticity, and the main feature of the invention resides in extending the 5 maximum reinforcement of the toe, proceeding from the underside of the latter, into the upper side of the toe only to such an extent that the maximum reinforcement at this point will just cover the points of the toes when the 3 stocking is worn.

By way of example, the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side view of the foot of a stocking according to the invention; Fig. 2, a top view of the 35 upper side of the toe of the foot shown in Fig. 1; and Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, a top and bottom view of a modification of a toe structure.

The toe of the stocking is repeatedly reinforced in steps, and the reinforcement of the 40 toe is divided into two zones differing in strength. I designates the most reinforced portion of the toe, which from the'underside of the toe extends into the upper side thereof so as to barely cover the points of the toes when the stocking is worn. 45 The form of the maximum reinforcement may vary. In the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the portion-of the maximum reinforcement occupying the upper side of the toe forms a strip which at practically the same width runs along 50 the two side lines and the front line of the toe. A stocking of this type can be worn on the left or right foot. However, as during wearing of a stocking the lateral maximum reinforcement of the upper portion of the toe is required on one side only, the transverse stretching property and elasticity of the toe in. the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are still curtailed to an extent that is capable of reduction. The structure according to Fig. 3 makes allowance for this by extending the maximum reinforcement I, in so far as it occupies the upper side of the toe, only along one side line and the front line o the toe.

It is immaterial how the maximum reinforcement is limited in the lower portion of the toe, as the high transverse extensibility and elasticity aimed at are insured already to the necessary degree by the extent of the maximum reinforcement on the upper side of the toe. It is therefore possible to provide the underside of the toe completely with the maximum reinforcement as in the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When the maximum reinforcement of the upper side of the toe is limited as in Fig. 3, the underside of the toe may be employed to increase still more lateral extensibility and elasticity. As indicated in Fig. 4, this can be done for instance by causing half the underside of the toe underneath the half of the upper side covered on the long side by the maximum reinforcement to be completely occupied by the latter. whereas in the other half of the underside the maximum reinforcement extends only over the front end.

I claim:---

1. A stocking comprising a toe repeatedly reinforced in steps, the maximum reinforcement ex- ,tending from the underside of the toe into he upper side thereof and just covering the toes of the foot of the wearer, and the portion of the upper side of the toe occupied by the maximum reinforcement extending along one side line and the front line of the toe.

2. A stocking comprising a toe repeatedly reinforced in steps, the maximum reinforcement extending from the underside of the toe into the upper side thereof and just covering the toes of the foot of the wearer, the portion of the upper side of the toe occupied by the maximum reinforcement extending along one side line and the front line of the toe and half the underside of the toe below the half of the upper side covered on the long side with the maximum reinforcement being completely occupied by the maximum reinforcement whereas the other half of the underside is provided with maximum reinforcement at its front end only.

KURT SEMMLER. 

